At the 2022 Grain Growers Conference, Don Hostetler discussed the role of aeration in improving grain conditioning outcomes. Hostetler is a product specialist with Brock Grain Systems in Indiana. The conference was put on by the Northern Grain Growers Association and University of Vermont Extension....

“Oftentimes, we hear that there is a relationship that healthy soils equals healthy plants equals healthy humans or animals. While that intuitively makes sense, and there’s certainly pockets of literature in their respective fields to suggest that is the case, there has been a lack of systems resear...

The USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program was created to help agricultural producers enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income. In selecting awardees, the USDA focuses on beginning and/or socially disadvanta...

“When we talk about tough situations, the conversation about suicide and mental health is tough, but it’s even harder to have that conversation when you lose someone.” That’s how farmer Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger began his presentation during a recent Rural Mental Health Connections webinar, hosted by...

Those who attended Empire Farm Days in 2021 were either visiting Palladino Farms for the first time – or returning to a celebrated former home of New York’s premier agricultural show, once again hosting the three-day event. As it had been a few years since Empire Farm Days was last in Pompey, NY, th...

It’s been a very different year for us as far as our daily schedule, with various unexpected appointments and new activities, but recently, I had a rare morning free of obligations and decided to take advantage of it to do one of the things I love most – riding Morgan, my Morgan mare. It was a glori...

Cover crops can be a great way of facilitating the transition to no-till farming. At the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership’s (ISAP) risk management webinar “Myth – Conservation Costs Too Much: Economics of Transitioning to a Soil Health System,” guest speaker Ryan Batts outlined how cover crops ha...

Nearly everyone who raises animals is familiar with the Five Freedoms that dictate how they should be raised: Freedom from hunger or thirst; freedom from discomfort or pain; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. Although the Fiv...

How does one go about discussing manure? When you’re farming, it’s an absolute necessity to learn how to use and manage it to your advantage. Jacki Martinez-Perkins, MOFGA’s dairy and livestock specialist, begins with the differences between types of manure. For example, manure from carnivores and o...